University of Newcastle vice chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky warns ATEC bill failure could put $400m funding and reform at risk

newy.com.au – In commentary published on Thursday 12 February 2026, University of Newcastle vice chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky AO urged federal parliament in Canberra to pass legislation establishing the Australian Tertiary Education Commission, warning planned reforms and up to $400 million in funding could be jeopardised.

The Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025 has passed the House of Representatives and now needs Senate support, with the bills referred to a Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee inquiry due to report on Wednesday 26 February 2026.

Zelinsky wrote that Australia was close to long awaited policy and funding certainty for universities, but cautioned it was “very near, but not certain”, particularly for regional institutions such as Newcastle. He said failure to establish the commission could put the government’s goal of lifting adult tertiary attainment to 80% by 2050 at risk, alongside funding intended to “kick start that expansion in 2027”.

Calling the commission “our best shot” at managing student growth and testing policy settings, Zelinsky warned it would be “a mistake to make perfect the enemy of the good” as the legislation is scrutinised.

He said the bill should be judged against three minimum standards, starting with a clear decision on independence, with his preferred model a “tier one independent agency like the Productivity Commission”. Zelinsky wrote a less independent model “subject to ministerial oversight and departmental staffing and resources” would be “not ideal”, but could still be workable if commissioners could exercise independence.

The second test, he wrote, was whether the commission had enough expertise, arguing the proposed structure of one part time and two full time commissioners was “underdone” for a sector he described as Australia’s fourth largest export industry.

The third standard was whether the new body would be empowered to deal with “the costing and pricing of university degrees”, including student contributions, to address what he described as distortions in current funding and fee settings. Zelinsky wrote that underfunding of teaching in nationally critical STEM disciplines needed redress and claimed students in business, arts and humanities were “unfairly contributing to 93 per cent of degree costs”.

Zelinsky’s call comes as sector groups push for changes to strengthen the bill’s design and powers. Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy told the Senate inquiry on Friday 13 February 2026 the sector supported the commission but said “the bill before the Parliament must be strengthened”, including on staffing and independence settings.

Education Minister Jason Clare said on Tuesday 10 February 2026 the legislation was “an important step” and that the commission was operating in an interim capacity, with the government expecting it to be fully operational later in 2026 if the Senate passes the bill.